O-7228 • plaque • The Fathers of Confederation
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Specifications
| Inscriptions |
In 1883 the Canadian government commissioned Robert Harris to paint the Charlottetown Conference of September 1864. The work was to include 23 Fathers and Hewitt Bernard, secretary. Asked to change the setting to the larger Quebec Conference of October the same year, he added 10 figures. A preliminary charcoal sketch or cartoon was done in Charlott
etown and the final painting in Montreal.In May 1884 it was hung in the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. It went too England's Festival of Empire in 1911, returned to Canada and was destroyed when the centre block burned February 3, 1916. On September 1, 1964-one hundred years after Charlottetown-the same scene began to emerge again. Rex Woods was e
mbarking on a commission by Confederation Life to recreate the heirloom for presentation to the nation during the 1967 Centennial Confederation. The 14' x 8' painting for Parliament followed a detailed 5' x3' model. Three delegates to the London Conference of 1866, officially recognized during the Diamond Jubilee in 1927, were added on the right.
The portrait above them is a tribute to Robert Harris, CMG, RCA. His signature is on the portfolio at the left, as in the original painting.
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| Materials | metal, brass |
| Dimensions (cm) | 48.0 (Length) • 35.5 (Width) • 0.4 (Thickness) |
| Functions | Documentary artifact |
| Barcode | 600158 |